One of the crown jewels of the Sarajevo Film Festival is its industry strand CineLink Industry Days, which serves as the central hub for film professionals during the festival. SFF Festival Director Jovan Marjanović describes it as a “really well-oiled machine that creates a platform for talent at each stage of their careers.”
Maša Marković, Head of Industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival, is now entering her fourth year heading up the reputed event, which runs during the festival from August 14-21. On the eve of the festival, she tells Deadline what to expect from this year’s edition and how she has helped shape it into an essential launchpad for Southeast European films.
DEADLINE: What are some key highlights for you in this year’s CineLink Industry Days strand?
MARCOVIĆ: CineLink is the pinnacle of what we do throughout the year, especially in terms of talent development. We’re not just presenting projects. We have always had a curated approach with our workshops and what each project needs before it’s presented in Sarajevo. In the last two years, we’re really more focusing on what people and companies need more of and what kind of support can we give to sustain all of these changes.
We are still are very interested in the question of IP, its potential to travel and why there aren’t many IPs from the region advancing. We know that we have very good creatives, but there is this question of bridging this. We have really been exploring synergies and questions on IP, adaptation and formats.
We wanted to dig into this pool of established and emerging professionals so this year, something fun we did in April, was we gathered these established writers, directors, producers, publishers and emerging ones and asked them to write and direct microdramas together over three days. There was a lot of skepticism around it but it was also a way to really work on collaboration, with no strings attached. These kinds of things are reflected in our CineLink program as this year one of our panels is about microdramas done by public broadcasters. We feel this format is a good way to reach new audiences because you can have the best talents do something in a very short time.
We will also be doing a panel with Council of Europe on the copilot program for series, which is really about the values that TV series can actually have, not only in the streaming numbers but also by understanding historical social dimensions of certain periods and what is the value behind that. This year, with CineLink Books, we are expanding it to include two theatre plays because this is also something we feel is very rich content-wise.
Additionally, with our Co-Production Market, we often get a lot of requests from companies outside of the region that have some story or element that is relevant for them to be in the region. So, this year, we will be presenting a showcase of several projects in development that are seeking services in the region, want to shoot in the region or need some creative elements or potential co-producers. This is something we are doing for the first time because there is a big demand for it.
DEADLINE: CineLink has become an essential launchpad for projects at all stages of development or production. Tell us about how it has grown since you’ve been at the head.
MARCOVIĆ: I think most people know we appreciate their projects but it’s our relationship to the people that is essential. We nurture people for a very long time before they come back to Sarajevo to screen their own film. They either go to the Co-Production Market, the Works In Progress or Slano Film Days and this process can last up to seven years before a filmmaker comes to the festival with their film.
This year, specifically, we are working with film schools. So, we have a delegation of 70 film students across Europe, especially within the region and we have curated a program for them. We have a section in the film lineup for student films, as well as the feature and documentary strands. Our approach has always been looking for the best talent and help them at every stage of their career. This is essential and the reason people return because there is always someone they can call and get valuable feedback from.
DEADLINE: You are putting a spotlight on Switzerland and the Czech Republic this year. Can you tell us about this?
MARCOVIĆ: There are so many shifts in the industry and one of the panels we are doing is about how film funds and the policies they create need to meet the changes that are happening. The Czech Film Fund introduced a new film law that means the country will be more open towards co-production. For us, that is the region that is very close to us geographically so we would want to be one of the first places they start doing co-productions with.
With Switzerland, there are a lot of cultural and socioeconomic ties between southeast Europe and Switzerland because a lot of people emigrated there. So, you have now also second generation of the filmmakers there that have ties to our region and tell stories relating to the region. We want them here in Sarajevo so that we can broaden the connection.
DEADLINE: What are some of the biggest hurdles or demands that come with putting together such a packed program?
MARCOVIĆ: We take place during the summer holidays so we know it can sometimes be tricky to get all the professionals we want here. But we know how to make a good program and deliver and, while people sometimes do take breaks, they always come back to Sarajevo.
DEADLINE: How do you envisage growing CineLink? What does the longterm vision look like?
MARCOVIĆ: The whole film industry is such a turmoil right now so our aim is to really equip people with the skills that will enable them to continue working on great things – not just in film, but in the broader audiovisual sense. The market has consolidated, there are more mature film funds, but overall I think this region is very centered on resilience out of scarcity. This has been our modus operandi for a long time and I think it will be difficult to survive in this business if you do not have a good skill set.
